Friday, October 30, 2009

Freaky Friday

1. There are certain things I just do. Every fall I go to Woody Allen's latest. Every winter I buy one really nice cashmere sweater in a classic style I can hold onto forever. And every time John Irving comes out with a novel I break the bank to buy it in hardcover. Right now I have my hot little hands on Last Night in Twisted River. I can't even review it because when it comes to Irving, I'm completely biased, a squeely fangirl of epic proportions. I'll just embarrass myself. If I haven't already.

2. Plant your garlic. Now is the time.

3. My oldest boy is dressing up as a hobo this Halloween, so, after a lot of dithering, I decided to go as a gypsy (Get it, Mad Men fans?). I bought a long black wig and a crystal ball. The party should be a blast--thanks for all your recipes! My friends will be well-fed!

4. Book clubs are popping up everywhere. What could be better than sitting around someone's living room, sipping wine and talking about books? I mean, seriously. EVERYONE I know has joined a book club. Our local library reserves five very large shelves just for clubs in our neighborhood. I LOVE this. It's good for people, communities AND the publishing industry. I walked into Borders the other day and saw an awesome endcap displaying Penguin's meatier titles for YA, along with book club discussion guides for each title. Nicely done, Penguin!

5. I finished The Hunger Games last night. Now I understand why everyone would freak out when I said I hadn't read it. For anyone aspiring to write YA, this book is like a graduate level seminar. Characterization, pacing, symbolism, thematic exploration--it's all done brilliantly in one very un-put-downable package.

Anyhew, have the happiest of Halloweens! I hope you get loads of candy...and no rocks!

9 comments:

  1. So glad you read The Hunger Games... are you on to Catching Fire yet? If not, get ready for some intense reading.

    Hope you have a great Halloween!

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  2. Dee-I'm going to pick up CF today. I CAN'T wait!

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  3. Oh, the gypsy and the hobo. Love it! You are so symbolic.

    Suzanne Collins is a genius, right? I comfort myself with the fact that she didn't debut with The Hunger Games. Surely that kind of writing takes practice.

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  4. Oh, my, I can't wait to see you as the gypsy and hobo!! And what a good idea with the cashmere sweater a year. Can you believe I don't even have one? Where do you recommend shopping for one?

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  5. LiLa--That's a good way to look at it.

    Alexa--Banana Republic used to have beautiful cashmere. Now I'm not so sure. I would not recommend J. Crew--not worth the cash. You can find some great deals at TJ Maxx and Nordstrom's Rack, though.

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  6. I haven't read John Irving, but I *have* read The Hunger Games. It's amazing, isn't it?

    You know, I've always wanted to be in a book club. (Are you in one?) I tried to start one in high school. Only my best friend came. And she left about five minutes later.

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  7. If you've never read John Irving, Sarah, then I'd recommend starting with The World According to Garp.

    And, no, I'm not in a bookclub, though it seems every single one of my friends has either started or joined one. I've been asked, but I'm afraid. When people find out I teach literature courses for a living, they tend to clam up. And then, sometimes, if I'm really passionate about a book, I CAN'T shut up, essentially shutting everyone else down, though I don't mean to. So, no book club for me. Maybe we should start one online? I belong to goodreads, but sometimes that's just a little overwhelming.

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  8. The World According to Garp. Got it.

    I'm not a member of Goodreads but I'd be all for starting a book club online!

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  9. Sarah, I'd love to hear what you think of Garp when you're done. I don't think anyone still writes novels like Irving used to (and maybe Irving doesn't anymore either--I'm not too far into Twisted River so I can't tell).

    Hmmm...maybe a 2010 online books club? (When everyone is done with NaNoWriMo.)

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